West Virginia State Legislative Election 2016 Political Courage Test

Abortion & Reproductive

1. Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
- Pro-life

2. Should abortions be illegal after the first trimester of pregnancy?
- Yes

3. Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape?
- No Answer

4. Should abortion be legal when the life of the woman is endangered?
- Yes

5. Do you support requiring parental notification before an abortion is performed on a minor?
- Yes

6. Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor?
- Yes

7. Do you support the prohibition of public funds for abortion procedures?
- Yes

8. Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions?
- No

9. Other or expanded principles
- In general, I oppose abortion. I do however know that tragic events can take place causing pregnancy for victims of certain violent and sexually related crimes as well as medical conditions that may require the decision of abortion to be considered, but under very restrictive condidtions. I believe in these extreme cases, that is a personal decision, to be taken seriously, where a person must make a decision themselves, between their family members, their creator, etc. that it isn't my place to play God to dictate such a huge personal decision. That is a very heavy and personal burden.

Budget, Spending, & Tax

1. Tapping into West Virginia's "rainy day" fund
- No

2. Decreasing funding for public universities
- No

3. Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions
- No

4. Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees
- No

5. Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients
- No

6. Other or expanded principles
- The rainy day fund was created for catastrophic events and catastrophes. Now is not the time to give up on our colleges and university nor or students. We need their educated minds with their ideas to help stimulate our failing economy. Our public employees already work for below average salaries. Their pensions and benefits are the only stable part of employment that makes it lucrative to work in the public sector. Furloughs o layoffs of any employee should only be considered as a last resort, not as a regular course of business.

1. Education (higher)
- Slightly Increase

2. Education (K-12)
- Greatly Increase

3. Environment
- Maintain Status

4. Health care
- Maintain Status

5. Law enforcement/corrections
- Slightly Increase

6. Transportation/infrastructure
- Slightly Increase

7. Welfare
- Maintain Status

8. Other or expanded categories
- Our state must invest in our education system to train and encourage those to stay in WV to create and aid in the creation/development of businesses and industry to bring economic stimulus to our State. Standard of living must be maintained and increased to make WV a safe and enjoyable place to live. This can also encourage other business to locate in our State.

1. Alcohol taxes
- Slightly Increase

2. Cigarette taxes
- Maintain Status

3. Corporate taxes
- Maintain Status

4. Small business taxes
- Maintain Status

5. Gas/Oil taxes
- Maintain Status

6. Property taxes
- Maintain Status

7. Sales taxes
- Slightly Increase

8. Income taxes (low-income families)
- Maintain Status

9. Income taxes (mid-income families)
- Maintain Status

10. Income taxes (high-income families)
- Maintain Status

11. Do you support applying sales taxes to all online purchases?
- No Answer

12. Other or expanded principles
- While WV is experiencing financial difficulties, lowering taxes may not be viable at this time. Maintaining current levels is likely the best course. Budget aid could come in the form of a small increase on the food tax which was eliminated several years ago. Based on what I have been told by constituents, they may support a small increase of a food tax to alleviate current financial issues. I haven't examined the viability of taxes placed to online purchases at this time.

Campaign Finance & Government Reform

1. Individual
- Yes

2. Political Action Committee
- Yes

3. Corporate
- Yes

4. Political Party
- Yes

5. Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits?
- Yes

6. Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information?
- Yes

7. Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting?
- Yes

8. Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls?
- No

1. Other or expanded principles
- Gov't issued ID may not be available by all voters. Registration cards could be a photo identification card which could meet a requirement such as that, which makes it more interesting to support.

Crime & Public Safety

1. Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes?
- Yes

2. Do you support alternatives to incarceration for certain non-violent offenders, such as mandatory counseling or substance abuse treatment?
- Yes

3. Do you support legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana?
- No Answer

4. Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult?
- Yes

5. Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police?
- Yes

6. Do you support delaying the seizure of assets by law enforcement officials until after a conviction?
- No Answer

7. g Do you support additional funding for programs intended to reduce drug addiction in West Virginia?
- Yes

8. Other or expanded principles
- In answering the question of legalization of marijuana, that is a position which I and considering and discussing with constituents, in both areas of medical and recreational uses. I am considering options on this question. Seizure of assets by law enforcement may be settled during pretrial diversion and plea bargaining without what is considered a straight out conviction. There is more to that answer than a yes or no.

Economic

1. Do you support government spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes

2. Do you support lowering taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes

3. Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector?
- No

4. Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers?
- Yes

5. Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits?
- No

6. Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits?
- Yes

7. Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation?
- Yes

8. Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure?
- Yes

9. Do you support an increase of the minimum wage?
- Yes

10. Should employers be able to ask about applicants' criminal history before interviewing them?
- Yes

11. Would you support the enactment of statewide 'Right to Work' legislation?
- No

12. Other or expanded principles
- While I agree with drug testing public assistance recipients, I believe more should be evaluated in making the decision to enact such legislation, such as impact on children and families and how to address the issues without crippling those who may desperately need assistance. Limited incentives to create jobs is supported, so long as some assurances are in place.

Education

1. Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative?
- No Answer

2. Do you support a merit pay system for teachers?
- No

3. Is the tenure process for public school teachers producing effective teachers?
- Yes

4. Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school?
- No

5. Do you support state funding for charter schools?
- No

6. Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid?
- Yes

7. Should illegal immigrants who graduate from West Virginia high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
- No

8. Other or expanded principles
- Our education system is taking a he hit lately and we must ensure we retain the best educators we have available to teach our youth. There have been so many variations in the defining what common core is, I feel the question cannot be properly answered.

Environment & Energy

1. Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)?
- Yes

2. Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)?
- Yes

3. Do you support state funding for improvements to West Virginia's energy infrastructure?
- Yes

4. Do you support state funding for open space preservation?
- Yes

5. Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions?
- No

6. Do you support increased regulations of the hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") industry?
- No

7. Other or expanded principles
- We should work toward finding methods to utilize our greatest energy resources, coal and natural gas to sustain our state and bring jobs back to these industries and return WV to being an energy leader rather than being taken out of the equation.

Gun

1. Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
- No

2. Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows?
- No

3. Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns?
- Yes

4. Should a license be required for gun possession?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- Background checks between individuals is not practical. Limiting or prohibiting gun ownership is not practical and against the fabric and culture of law abiding WV citizens. I do not support a State license to own firearms. Duplication of federal laws regarding gun ownership is not necessary for law abiding West Virginians. I do believe that training is extremely important to those who carry a firearm. In general, West Virginians carrying firearms have not traditionally caused problems, but safety must be stressed.

Health

1. Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option?
- Yes

2. Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform?
- No Answer

3. Do you support interstate health insurance compacts?
- Yes

4. Do you support Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?
- No Answer

5. Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance?
- No

6. Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits?
- No Answer

7. Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes?
- Yes

8. Other or expanded principles
- I do not have enough information at this time to answer some questions regarding health insurance reforms, but would welcome information and discussion from both sides of the issue.

Social

1. Do you support same-sex marriage?
- No Answer

2. Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in West Virginia's anti-discrimination laws?
- No Answer

3. Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in West Virginia's anti-discrimination laws?
- No Answer

4. Other or expanded principles
- Decisions on any of the above questions have included so many facets, I would evaluate any legislation on the requirements of the bill. While I do not condone any type of discrimination, it is very difficult to generalize an answer without seeing specifics of a bill.

Legislative Priorities

In the following area, please explain in a total of 100 words or less, your top two or three priorities if elected. If they require additional funding for implementation, please explain how you would obtain this funding.
- My priorities are being active to represent my constituents and listening to their concerns and desires to represent them as best I can. Job creation with coal and natural gas for my area is extremely important and would be willing to work with business and industry to match business with available work force as well as encourage training of workforce to meet the needs of potential industry. Bringing a practical approach to the real world impact to legislation on our citizens; and bring the standard of living to a higher level including education, higher education and infrastructure in my area.